The Complete Runner's Day-By-Day Log: 2011 Engagement Calendar

I've been using this spiral bound calendar since James Fixx published his first one thirty years ago.
It is an excellent way for any athlete to log training activity, daily, weekly and annually,
and it is especially suited for runners who want to keep track of their distance, their weight and
the quality of their work outs. Along the way, there are short monthly essays on running and weekly
tips on running, safety, and prevention of injury.

In 1979 I started using Jim Fix's first log, the precursor of this one. It was the first year of publication. The current log is very similar and is nicely designed. So I have used every edition printed since the very beginning. Highly recommended!

I started with this guide in 1987 back when it included 16 months and was written by John Jerome. I have a lot of friends who have upgraded to Garmins and I may do that as well, but this calendar is a steady background rhythm for my ups and downs over the years. I run a number of races every year and it's fun to track my performance. I'm nearing 50 so my PR years are behind me, but the great thing about this journal is it's a steady force, always there, ready to be filled in, looking lonely and disappointed if I go more than a few days without making an entry.

If you want something to help keep you on track with running, this has worked for me for a long time. On the downside, the running advice is pedestrian at best, and a lot of it seems recycled almost verbatim from previous years. But I would be very bummed if I lost this tradition, so I'm going to keep buying as long as I'm still able to run.